Energy giant EDF has said it is pleased Sizewell C has moved a step closer after the proposals were cleared for the next stage by the planning inspectorate.
The firm lodged its proposal for a new nuclear power station on the Suffolk coast with the inspectorate in May, with the government body being given 28 days to decide if the plans were satisfactory.
Now they have been deemed to be satisfactory by the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, the next stage – which includes the public being able to examine documents – will soon be under way.
Only then will the detailed, final proposal be revealed.
In a statement, an EDF spokeswoman said the company was pleased with the progress.
The spokeswoman said: “The decision means the inspectorate is satisfied that the eight years of public consultation by the project was conducted properly and that full examination of the proposals can now take place.
“The timing is right to start the process for the public to be able to view the planning application with new guidelines in place for social distancing. We will ensure they have every opportunity to read the planning application for this project which will leave a positive legacy for years to come.”
The company says the project will bring huge investment and job opportunities across Britain and especially to the Suffolk area.
EDF also believes that nuclear power is crucial in providing for the country’s growing energy needs, with fossil fuels running out and more electricity needed to power homes, workplaces and cars.
Paul Morton, project lead for Sizewell C and former Sizewell B station manager, has even gone as far in the past as saying: “I don’t believe the lights will stay on without it.”
But campaigners have a range of concerns, including the siting of a campus for workers and the routes and proposals to bring materials to the construction site.
There are also huge worries over the impact on tourism and wildlife over the decade in which the enormous plant is built.
The plant would provide power to six million homes, while EDF says the development would create 25,000 job opportunities and 1,000 apprenticeships.
A summary of the proposals will be made available in the coming weeks on the Sizewell C website. EDF said a newsletter will be sent to local residents in the following day.
A full copy of the planning application and supporting documents will also be available on the planning inspectorate website.
Interested parties will then be able to register to make representations to the examiners who will look into the plans in much more detail – and examiners can make a recommendation to the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, Alok Sharma.
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